Please add one book, article, tool or website that you read or discovered over the summer.
To add to this page, click on the Edit this Page at the top. When you are finished, please be sure to click Save on the top right. Don't forget to add your name.
Rick - http://mashpedia.com/ a free online encyclopedia that gathers information from both text (wikipedia, nytimes.com, etc.) and visual sources (youtube, abcnews, etc.) and continually updates. Good for current news and topics. BLC wiki
Robin C - (Concord-Carlisle) I played with my new iPad and am finding it to be a very powerful tool. However, the Kno digital textbook looks astounding. You can click through to the video (1 min 35 sec). What will this mean for teaching and learning? How will it impact library services?
Lucy C. (Waltham) - I had some fun with GoAnimate. I made a short "Welcome Back" video for teachers and posted it on my McDevitt Library Blog. Rick...love xtranormal! I'm going to check it out today!
Nancy J. (Charlestown) - I made great use of http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_teachers.htm - lots of great activities for teachers and students. Not only that, you can calculate how much your savings bonds are worth. The site updates the info every six months and tells you when your bonds are mature. Also played around with a great FREE site for easy desktop publishing: http://www.blurb.com/make/booksmart.
Linda P. - Discovered Yo Link. It's a tool that helps students search the internet effectively and efficiently.
Sandy E. - This is the link to my "suggestions for summer reading list" for R.J. Grey's junior high students located on my website. http://mail.ab.mec.edu/~jhslibrary/SummerReading2010.pdf They are all great books so put them on your "to buy" list!
Carolyn M. Best book I read this summer is The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto (a totally different perspective on the role the Dutch played in the development of this country - fascinating!). Enjoy!
Leslie K. - I saw a demo of the new Epson BrightLink projector with smart pens - Smartboard functionality without the expense of a Smartboard. The brightness and ultra-short throw of the projector, which reduces shadows considerably, were impressive. For more info see http://www.epsonbrightlink.webengager.com/Education/
Michelle T. (Lexington) - I've gotten out of several techno jams with Zamzar, the free online file conversion tool.
Sandra R (Waltham) - Maybe off-topic but I was fascinated with the iPhone app LoseIt for a week. I read about it in the NYT and then downloaded it. The gist of it is that you enter all food that you consume in a day, as well as daily exercise. I was so much more motivated to exercise! (...other road to take is eat-less) That all works when you have the time… Back to reality… Our district has an initiative on Data Coaching a “process of collaborative inquiry with school-based data teams” and that work is brought to us by Research for Better Teaching (RBT). All administrators and teams from our schools were trained as Data Coaches this summer. What I want to share is the RBT website --and specifically the videos (not specific to Data Coaching) -- that can help us be reminded of what good teaching looks like – since Library Teachers model, as well as collaborate. http://www.rbteach.com/rbteach2/video_control_panel.html
Bridget K. (Brookline) I took a fantastic course this summer with Primary Source, Teaching for Global Understanding in the 21st Century. Their online resource guide is full of great links and resources related to global issues, Global Education Online Resource Guide
Kathy M. - I read several books about Afghanistan that gave an excellent picture of the geography and complex cultures of the country : Stones for Schools Greg Mortenson,about building schools in Afghanistan; and an old chestnut Caravans by James Michener (1963-dated and misogynistic but very good Afghan geography.) Now reading Parvana’s Journey by Ellis (YA).
Also-I attended BLC's Joyce Valenza workshop on "A Few New Things". Here is the link to Joyce's Valenza's presentation page for that conference session: http://newtoolsworkshop.wikispaces.com/. Lots of new "cloud "tools.
Kendall B. - I recently stumbled upon this presentation tool called Prezi . As a teacher or students, you can sign-up for an EDU license and use the program for free. Below is an example of a Prezi presentation. Click on the image to zoom in and out. Click on the circle to zoom completely out. Click on More to view fullscreen or autoplay. Enjoy!
To add to this page, click on the Edit this Page at the top. When you are finished, please be sure to click Save on the top right. Don't forget to add your name.
Rick - http://mashpedia.com/ a free online encyclopedia that gathers information from both text (wikipedia, nytimes.com, etc.) and visual sources (youtube, abcnews, etc.) and continually updates. Good for current news and topics. BLC wiki
Robin C - (Concord-Carlisle) I played with my new iPad and am finding it to be a very powerful tool. However, the Kno digital textbook looks astounding. You can click through to the video (1 min 35 sec). What will this mean for teaching and learning? How will it impact library services?
Lucy C. (Waltham) - I had some fun with GoAnimate. I made a short "Welcome Back" video for teachers and posted it on my McDevitt Library Blog. Rick...love xtranormal! I'm going to check it out today!
Nancy J. (Charlestown) - I made great use of http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_teachers.htm - lots of great activities for teachers and students. Not only that, you can calculate how much your savings bonds are worth. The site updates the info every six months and tells you when your bonds are mature. Also played around with a great FREE site for easy desktop publishing: http://www.blurb.com/make/booksmart.
Linda P. - Discovered Yo Link. It's a tool that helps students search the internet effectively and efficiently.
Sandy E. - This is the link to my "suggestions for summer reading list" for R.J. Grey's junior high students located on my website. http://mail.ab.mec.edu/~jhslibrary/SummerReading2010.pdf They are all great books so put them on your "to buy" list!
Carolyn M. Best book I read this summer is The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto (a totally different perspective on the role the Dutch played in the development of this country - fascinating!). Enjoy!
Leslie K. - I saw a demo of the new Epson BrightLink projector with smart pens - Smartboard functionality without the expense of a Smartboard. The brightness and ultra-short throw of the projector, which reduces shadows considerably, were impressive. For more info see http://www.epsonbrightlink.webengager.com/Education/
Michelle T. (Lexington) - I've gotten out of several techno jams with Zamzar, the free online file conversion tool.
Sandra R (Waltham) - Maybe off-topic but I was fascinated with the iPhone app LoseIt for a week. I read about it in the NYT and then downloaded it. The gist of it is that you enter all food that you consume in a day, as well as daily exercise. I was so much more motivated to exercise! (...other road to take is eat-less) That all works when you have the time… Back to reality… Our district has an initiative on Data Coaching a “process of collaborative inquiry with school-based data teams” and that work is brought to us by Research for Better Teaching (RBT). All administrators and teams from our schools were trained as Data Coaches this summer. What I want to share is the RBT website --and specifically the videos (not specific to Data Coaching) -- that can help us be reminded of what good teaching looks like – since Library Teachers model, as well as collaborate. http://www.rbteach.com/rbteach2/video_control_panel.html
Bridget K. (Brookline) I took a fantastic course this summer with Primary Source, Teaching for Global Understanding in the 21st Century. Their online resource guide is full of great links and resources related to global issues, Global Education Online Resource Guide
Kathy M. -
I read several books about Afghanistan that gave an excellent picture of the geography and complex cultures of the country : Stones for Schools Greg Mortenson,about building schools in Afghanistan; and an old chestnut Caravans by James Michener (1963-dated and misogynistic but very good Afghan geography.) Now reading Parvana’s Journey by Ellis (YA).
Also-I attended BLC's Joyce Valenza workshop on "A Few New Things". Here is the link to Joyce's Valenza's presentation page for that conference session: http://newtoolsworkshop.wikispaces.com/. Lots of new "cloud "tools.
Kendall B. - I recently stumbled upon this presentation tool called Prezi . As a teacher or students, you can sign-up for an EDU license and use the program for free. Below is an example of a Prezi presentation. Click on the image to zoom in and out. Click on the circle to zoom completely out. Click on More to view fullscreen or autoplay. Enjoy!
Academy: 10 ways to say it with prezi on Prezi